6 Updates from Lincoln Center's Student Arts Council

Time flies when you're busy or having fun, and there was a lot of both during what turned out to be a successful inaugural year for the Lincoln Center Student Arts Council (LC SAC). The group launched last September, blasting off alongside the Millennium Falcon during the New York Philharmonic's screening of Star Wars—marking the council's first group performance outing. But a lot has happened in the ensuing months. As we officially exit our pilot period and enter our second full year as Lincoln Center's newest youth membership group, here are six things you need to know about the Student Arts Council, including highlights from last year and goals for this one.

By Teens, For Teens
The council is made up of three committees: Programming, Digital & Outreach, and Finance & Sponsorship. We meet four times a year to handle the group's marketing, fundraising, and programming needs. The catch: You've got to be in high school to join the board! Lincoln Center staff and parent mentors provide direction and advice for the committees, but LC SAC is truly by teens, for teens. No joke or marketing gimmick; the teens really run the show, taking full responsibility for the successes and growing pains of our new group.

From Zero to 38 in a Year!
Originally created to bridge the gap between Lincoln Center Kids (ages 2 to 12) and Lincoln Center Young Patrons (20s to 30s), the council has taken on a life of its own. In its first year, a total of 38 adolescents from across NYC joined LC SAC, creating Lincoln Center's first teen-run organization! Looking ahead, we're hoping to grow that number—ideally, with sponsored memberships for new members, as well as the chance to involve teens from outside of the city.

Classic to Contemporary
The three most popular LC SAC performance outings have spanned centuries of performing arts, from classical masterpieces to more recent pop culture hits. After our first outing to a galaxy far, far away with the New York Philharmonic in the fall, we took a February trip to 1500s Verona for the New York City Ballet's take on Romeo and Juliet, before bringing our moms to 20th-century London to see Lincoln Center Theater's My Fair Lady for Mother's Day. Each performance outing included a fun social twist, like trading a traditional champagne toast for bubble milk tea (courtesy of The Boba Guys) on the Empire Hotel Rooftop after My Fair Lady.

Student Salons (Not for Hair!)
The Student Art Council also gathered for three fantastic salons this year––but they weren't there for haircuts! These intimate outings featured tours of the David Zwirner and Gagosian Galleries, as well as an afternoon at 3.1 Phillip Lim. At the Winter Art & Food Walk in December, LC SAC members embarked on a downtown art adventure, viewing sculptures by Katharina Fritsch, an installation by Richard Serra, and the immensely popular Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Room at the David Zwirner Gallery. Afterward, we enjoyed tacos at Los Mariscos in Chelsea Market. The event reached capacity, so the council organized another walk in April—this time starring the Gagosian Gallery and the FLAG Art Foundation—followed by snacks at HARBS, a Japanese café. Between the two art and food walks, our spring shopping trip to 3.1 Phillip Lim featured a talk with CEO Wen Zhou—an ardent supporter of LC Kids (and an LC SAC parent)!

Onward & Upward
After LC SAC's successful pilot season, we are excited for 2018–19. Our new website will launch soon, and we also want to expand the group to help further our mission of making the performing arts more accessible to younger audiences. We plan on jumpstarting a subsidized ticket program and including more out-of-state, culture-seeking teens in the coming season.

Joining Is Easy!
Are you an out-of-state, culture-seeking teen or a young New Yorker who loves the arts? Well, we have great news for you: Joining LC SAC is easy, and we're looking to expand! Just e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]. We'll help connect you to the performing arts—and visual arts, too—as well as fun, nerdy, fabulous peers who love them as much as you do!